See how great a thing is the not envying. The toil is another's, the pleasure is yours; another wears the crown, and you caper, you are gay. For tell me, seeing it is another that has conquered, why do you leap? But they also know well, that what has been done is common. Therefore they do not accuse this man indeed, but they try to beat down the victory; and you hear them saying such words as these, “(There) I expunged you,” and, “I beat you down.” Although the deed was another's, still the praise is yours. But if in things without, not to envy, but to make another's good one's own, is so great a good, much more in the victory of the devil over us he breathes the more furiously, evidently because we are more pleased. Wicked though he is, and bitter, he well knows that this pleasure is great. Would you pain him? Be glad and rejoice. Would you gladden him? Be sad-visaged. The pain he has from your brother's victory, you soothe by your sadness; you stand with him, severed from your brother, you work greater mischief than he. For it is not the same for one that is an enemy to do the deeds of an enemy, and for a friend to stand with an enemy; such an one is more detestable than an enemy. If your brother has gained good reputation either by speaking, or by brilliant or successful achievement, become a sharer in his reputation, show that he is a member of yours.
“And how?” says one, “for the reputation is not mine.” Never speak so. Compress your lips. If you had been near me, you that speakest on that wise, I would have even put my hand over your lips: lest the enemy should hear you. Oftentimes we have enmities with one another, and we discover them not to our enemies; do you then discover yours to the devil? Say not so, think not so; but the very reverse: “he is one of my members, the glory passes on to the body.” “How then is it,” says one, “that those without are not so minded?” Because of your fault: when they see you counting his pleasure not your own, they too count it not yours: were they to see you appropriating it, they dared not do so, but you would become equally illustrious with him. You have not gained reputation by speaking; but by sharing in his joy you have gained more renown than he. For if love be a great thing, and the sum of all, you have received the crown this gives; he, that for oratory, you, that for exceeding love; he displayed force of words, but thou by deeds hast cast down envy, hast trodden under foot the evil eye. So that in reason you ought rather to be crowned than he, your contest is the more brilliant; you have not only trodden under foot envy, but you have even done somewhat else. He has one crown only, but thou two, and those both brighter than his one. What are these? One, that which you won against envy, another, which you are encircled with by love. For the sharing in his joy is a proof not only of your being free from envy, but also of being rooted in love. Him ofttimes some human passion sorely disquiets, vainglory for instance; but you are free from every passion, for it is not of vainglory that you rejoice at another's good. Hath he righted up the Church, tell me? Has he increased the congregation? Praise him; again you have a twofold crown; you have struck down envy; you have enwreathed you with love. Yea, I implore and beseech you. Will you hear of a third crown even? Him, men below applaud, you, the Angels above. For it is not the same thing, to make a display of eloquence, and to rule the passions. This praise is for a season, that for ever; this, of men, that, of God; this man is crowned openly; but you are crowned in secret, where your Father sees. If it were possible to have peeled off the body and seen the soul of each, I would have shown you that this is more dignified than the other, more resplendent.
Tread we under foot the goads of envy, we advantage ourselves, beloved, ourselves shall we enwreath with the crown. He that envies another fights with God, not with him; for when he sees him to have grace, and is grieved, and wishes the Church pulled down, he fights not with him, but with God. For tell me, if one should adorn a king's daughter, and by his adorning and gracing her, gain for himself renown; and another person should wish her to be ill attired, and him to be unable to adorn her; against whom would he have been plotting mischief? Against the other? Or against her and her father? So too now, you that enviest, fightest with the Church, you war with God. For, since with the good repute of your brother is interwoven also the Church's profit, need is, that if the one be undone, the other shall be undone also. So that, in this regard also, you do a deed of Satan, seeing you plot mischief against the body of Christ. Are you pained at this man? Wrongly, when he has in nothing wronged you; yea, much rather, you are pained at Christ. Wherein has He wronged you, that you will not suffer His body to be decked with beauty? That you will not suffer His bride to be adorned? Consider, I pray you, the punishment, how sore. Thou gladdenest your enemies; and him too himself, the man in good esteem, whom through your envy you wish to grieve, thou dost the rather gladden; thou dost by your envy the rather show that he is in good esteem, for otherwise you would not have envied him. Thou showest the rather that you are in punishment.
I am ashamed indeed to exhort you from such motives, but seeing our weakness is so great, let us be instructed even from these, and free ourselves from this destructive passion. Grievest thou that he is in good esteem? Then why do you swell that esteem by envying? Wishest thou to punish him? Why then do you show that you are pained? Why punish yourself before him, whom you would not have well esteemed? Thereafter double will be his pleasure, and your punishment; not only because you prove him to be great; but because you beget in him yet another pleasure, by punishing yourself; and again, at what you are pained, he is pleased, while you envy. See how we deal ourselves heavy blows without perceiving it! He is an enemy. And yet, why an enemy? What wrong has he done? Still, however, by this we make our enemy the more illustrious, and thereby punish ourselves the more. And herein again we punish ourselves, if we have discovered that he knows it. For perhaps he is not pleased, but we thinking him to be so, are again pained on that account. Cease then your envying. Why do you inflict wounds upon yourself?
Think we of these things, beloved; of those two crowns for them that envy not; of those praises from men, of those from God; of the evils that come of envying; and so shall we be able to quell the brute, and to be in good esteem before God, and to obtain the same things with those who are of good esteem. For perhaps we shall obtain them, and if we obtain them not, it will be for our advantage; still, even so, we shall be able, if we have lived to the glory of God, to obtain the good things promised to them that love Him, through the grace and love toward man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, etc.
Source: Homilies on Colossians (New Advent)